When the clock is ticking away, generating ideas right on the exam sheet saves time. First read over all the questions carefully. If you don’t understand what a question calls for, ask your instructor right away. If you are offered a choice, cross out questions you are not going to answer so you don’t waste time on them by mistake. Annotate questions, underline important points, and scribble short definitions. Write reminders that you will notice while you work: TWO PARTS! or EXAMPLE OF ABORIGINES.

Outline a Concrete Answer. Instructors prefer concrete and specific answers to those that wander in the clouds of generality. David Cohn’s informal outline helped him cite evidence — particular experiments with infants — all the way through.

Thesis: Research on infants is probably the best way to demonstrate that some factors in perceptual organization are innate.

Cliff box — kid fears drop despite glass, mother; knows shallow side safe

Size constancy — learned early if not intrinsic

Shapes — infants respond more/better to face shape than nonformed

Match sound w/ sight — 2 TVs, look twice as much at right one

Focus on the Question. Instructors prefer answers that are organized and coherent rather than rambling. Check the question for directive words that define your task: evaluate, compare, discuss, explain, describe, summarize, trace the development of. To put yourself on the right track, incorporate a form of such a word in your first sentence.